Does Fitness Have Anything to do With Diving?

[donnad]

i take fitness and diving seriously. i want to be in good CV shape when diving in case circumstances become strenous, and also to not be an air hog! and hoisting that gear around.........and sometimes you may have some difficult exits from the water that require some fitness.........ended up diving from a fishing boat in akumal after a hurricane had damaged the regular dive boat, and we had no ladder and so we did back rolls off the boat, but getting back in the boat was more difficult........especially for us women who typically do NOT have the upper body strength that a man has. but i at least like to feel like i am in decent shape and am up to the task, including rough seas, difficult entries/exits, surface swim, strong current or what have you. and since we're kind of griping about this subject, it kind of bugs me to see divers who smoke!!! what's up with that!!!

 

[Hank49]

Cardio vascular fitness doesn't mean better air consumption. It means you have a more efficient system for delivering oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from your system. More flow per beat of the heart, but the oxygen demand of a 180 lb fit body is the same as an unfit one on a cellular level. A fit person will have a slower heart rate with the same exertion and recover quicker but the body will need the O2 just the same...and will have to breath to get it.
I've seen very fit divers (my son, 138 lbs, me 180, after he swam in the state finals last year) totally turbo his air...but he was swimming around under water and not focusing on relaxing.
Unfit, unexperienced divers jumping into the waters in open trade swells on a average day off Hawaii though, is asking for trouble.

 

[Cacia]

So should the title of your thread be fitness or fatness?

I am saying that in this country, we need to face the fact that they go together.

So...do you this problem is getting better or getting worse?

It is getting worse. And the scuba diving community is part of a bigger national trend and they need a big "Revoli".
I don't see how repeating the mantra "you can be fat and fit" is serving us very well. Is this attitude working?

It is an American problem and an American attitude.

 

[Ann Marie]

If you look at my VERY FIRST sentence in my first post in this thread you'll see that I said yes, I think you should be fit to do any activity.

Does bringing up a strangers fitness level work for you? In other areas of this board where you've done that, I haven't seen it working well at all.

I think that as a nation we do need to get moving, watch our diets, and strive to become healthier as a society.

I DO think that American AND the world have an issue with weight. In my family we work on it. If that means trying to keep processed foods out of the house we do that as much as possible. For us it also means going to the gym, being out doors, keeping the television off, and engaging in activities we enjoy.

 

[Ann Marie]

I don't see how repeating the mantra "you can be fat and fit" is serving us very well. Is this attitude working?

Are you able to point out where I keep repeating this? How about where I EVEN SAY IT?

I do say about me, "Still carrying some extra weight, but I think I'm fairly fit."

Mantra.....Get real

 

[Charlie99]

Cardio vascular fitness doesn't mean better air consumption.

My personal experience is that cardiovascular fitness makes little or no difference in resting air consumption, but makes a huge difference in the consumption rate when swimming at 1kt or greater.

I see this also on dry land when restarting my exercise program after a hiatus. At the beginning, a certain incline and speed will have me huffing and puffing and gasping for air. After a month of regular exercise, I'll be doing that same incline and speed, or more, while casually chatting with someone with ease.

 

[Cacia]

yes, I think you should be fit to do any activity.

Well, I don't find that statement very profound, Ann Marie.

I'll venture to say it is more important in diving than riding a bike, because you are in the water. If I have a heart attack on my bike, I'll probably fall off and some passerby will call an ambulance. I don't really count on that when I'm diving.

After a month of regular exercise, I'll be doing that same incline and speed, or more, while casually chatting with someone with ease.

I was shocked that it made such a difference in four weeks.
I still cannot get over it.
I popped my Garmin on JB's bike and screamed "When you see my HR at 170 for over twenty minutes...I could DIE" You dont need to watch YOUR HR at 90 on these rides! Oh yea, I'm struggling, if that makes me more likable.

In other areas of this board where you've done that, I haven't seen it working well at all.

Yea, the "thanks" I get are in my PM box. They are afraid to post, I guess. Nobody wants to be called mean, especially by a nice person like you.

I am just saying that being overweight should be just another factor....no different from age, experience, skill, training, etc. ...but denying that it is relevant just seems irrational.

 

[Ann Marie]

How about answering the questions I ask for a change, Catherine?

You asked this question Catherine, Does Fitness Have Anything to do With Diving? and I answered, yes, I think you should be fit to do any activity. Want a more profound answer start with a question that can be answered with more than a yes or no.

 

[Ann Marie]

I'll venture to say it is more important in diving than riding a bike, because you are in the water. If I have a heart attack on my bike, I'll probably fall off and some passerby will call an ambulance. I don't really count on that when I'm diving.

What is the difference of diving when someone is obese and when someone knows that they have a congenital arrythmia? Both have a higher risk of having a medical emergency which can happen in the water.

My cardiologist knew I was diving 140 ft with a congenital arrythmia that was making me faint. I told him it never happened diving (it didn't unless I was upright) He was from Barne's Heart Institute and later ablated me. he knew that I understood my symptoms and if I was wrong, I would not take out an entire family in an SUV, by diving.

 

[Cacia]

I think you should be fit to do any activity

okay. I get that.

I dive without a buddy so that is one difference. (ablation cured it, anyway) But, you missed my whole point. My point is that the medical waiver does not mean much. And, that I factor in my weaknesses on dives and so should somebody who is overwieght, and then the operator won't get blamed for their choice. There is no difference, except one you can mention and the other one is taboo around here. Being overweight almost seems like a requirement to be a mod, at times.

I am also saying that unfit divers are a big problem, especially on Oahu, because of who tends to come here.

I am also saying that maybe unfit or overweight divers should get their heart rates up for several weeks before getting in big Hawaiian water and doing some fairly advanced dives. This way, they get in touch with how much exertion they feel comfortable with. I think they suffer more weighting issues, the current tends to push them around more, etc. I see them getting stressed earlier, and easier.

I am also suggesting that we focus more on fitness and less on operator error and equipment rental failures, since heart attacks are what is killing our divers.

And, I am suggesting that the dive community has a problem that we should take on. I think the best way to do that is to realize how many of us are affected by it and just be matter of fact about it and not get our panties in a wad.